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Jack Anderson
NEW GfiLEANS STATES-ITEM
From generals to GIs,
U.S. Army in trouble
Dec.29 1970
WASHINGTON - the Army is in trouble» From the gold braid that adorns General Westmoreland's cap to the mud that
clings to the footslogger's boots. The system
is floundering. The brass know it. The non-
coms know it. The GIs know it.
What they all know, however, the Army
is reluctant to admit. Official spokesmen
give only partial answers or no answers at
all to inquiries. To find out what's wrong
with the Army, we have talked to GIs and
generals alike from the Potomac to the
Rhine, from Seoul to Saigon. Here are the
stark facts:
GIs are deserting in droves. In 1970, 52
out of every 1,000 soldiers risked court-martial to escape from the Army. This is three
times the desertion rate just five years ago.
Discipline is lax, approaching outright
insurrection in some units. Lawful orders
given under combat conditions are often ignored. Soldiers publicly participate in unauthorized demonstrations. Underground newspapers, some openly seditious, are flourishing. Lawsuits to protect soldiers' rights, unheard of just a few years ago, are becoming
commonplace. The first sergeant is no longer Gad, but just another misguided "lifer."
The Army is literally going to pot. Marijuana is as abundant as the monsoon mud in
Vietnam. Hard drugs can be purchased for
pocket change in Saigon. Army hospitals
have become havens of drug abuse.
Racial tension is simmering on many
Army posts. Blacks and whites work together by day, segregate and fight by night.
Many militants frankly intend to use their
Army training to wage guerrilla warfare
against the U.S.
Promotions U.S. patriotism
Too many officers put promotions ahead
of patriotism. A combat command, for example, has become an unwritten requirement for field grade promotions, especially
for colonels seeking their first star. Gener-
ïaytnmimmi
wmimwm
als also move up tne laauer taster if they
have combat records. For the saice or their
careers, combat commands in Vietnam have
been rotated every six to eight months. Consequently, the troops are constantly being
led by green officers. Human life literally
has become a means to an end for ambitious
officers. The dirt soldiers die, their parents
get flag-draped coffins, and the generals receive the kudos.
Generals also feel they need medals to
add to their luster. These are handed out to
just about every general who takes a helicopter ride over a battlefield. Almost half of
the generals back from Vietnam last year,
most of them swivel-chair commanders,
came home decorated. for bravery in combat. Colonels in charge of battalions get decorated so automatically that their medals
• ■ *?
nave become known as the "battalion commanders' packets." Among the enlisted men
who do most of the fighting and dying, in
contrast, only one in ten was decorated for
bravery.
It is also drilled into officers that the
way to get ahead is to conform and never to
criticize. Efficiency reports, which largely
determine promotions, measure conformity
rather than ability. Able officers who raise
criticisms get low ratings. Tne inevitable
result is that the Army has come under the
sway of mediocre officers.
In recruiting for the ranks, the Army
promises soft jobs for those who enlist,
those who are shanghaied—the draftees, the
poor, the black, the dull, the walking wounded—are thrown into the foxholes. The best
men invariably get the choice, rear-echelon
assignments. Thus the cream become the
bureaucrats. The dregs become the dirt soldiers. In other words, the purpose of the
Army is to fight, yet its policy is keep the
best men out o. combat.
THE BOND (Ara.Servicemen. rs Uni.*; ),
-, Dec. 16,1970
"-*'•'-. "8£M
GfßMAN
mmum
mumm i«
»« turns
(liil-UU)
U.S. Army pamphlets written for officers by Nazi war criminals. These
pamphlets recommend the same terroristic war on civilians as was carried
out by Calley in My Lai. The government is now trying to whitewash its
ordering the murders of civilians.
Butcher Calley with one of his
lawyers, Richard Kay, outside the
Ft. Benning courtroom.

Copyright belongs to the individuals who created them or the organizations for which they worked. We share them here strictly for non-profit educational purposes. If you believe that you possess copyright to material included here, please contact us at asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org. Under the fair use provisions of the U.S. copyright law, teachers and students are free to reproduce any document for nonprofit classroom use. Commercial use of copyright-protected material is generally prohibited.

Copyright belongs to the individuals who created them or the organizations for which they worked. We share them here strictly for non-profit educational purposes. If you believe that you possess copyright to material included here, please contact us at asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org. Under the fair use provisions of the U.S. copyright law, teachers and students are free to reproduce any document for nonprofit classroom use. Commercial use of copyright-protected material is generally prohibited.

Owner

Brünn, Harris Watts Collection - Ephemera Soldiers Movements

Full text

Jack Anderson
NEW GfiLEANS STATES-ITEM
From generals to GIs,
U.S. Army in trouble
Dec.29 1970
WASHINGTON - the Army is in trouble» From the gold braid that adorns General Westmoreland's cap to the mud that
clings to the footslogger's boots. The system
is floundering. The brass know it. The non-
coms know it. The GIs know it.
What they all know, however, the Army
is reluctant to admit. Official spokesmen
give only partial answers or no answers at
all to inquiries. To find out what's wrong
with the Army, we have talked to GIs and
generals alike from the Potomac to the
Rhine, from Seoul to Saigon. Here are the
stark facts:
GIs are deserting in droves. In 1970, 52
out of every 1,000 soldiers risked court-martial to escape from the Army. This is three
times the desertion rate just five years ago.
Discipline is lax, approaching outright
insurrection in some units. Lawful orders
given under combat conditions are often ignored. Soldiers publicly participate in unauthorized demonstrations. Underground newspapers, some openly seditious, are flourishing. Lawsuits to protect soldiers' rights, unheard of just a few years ago, are becoming
commonplace. The first sergeant is no longer Gad, but just another misguided "lifer."
The Army is literally going to pot. Marijuana is as abundant as the monsoon mud in
Vietnam. Hard drugs can be purchased for
pocket change in Saigon. Army hospitals
have become havens of drug abuse.
Racial tension is simmering on many
Army posts. Blacks and whites work together by day, segregate and fight by night.
Many militants frankly intend to use their
Army training to wage guerrilla warfare
against the U.S.
Promotions U.S. patriotism
Too many officers put promotions ahead
of patriotism. A combat command, for example, has become an unwritten requirement for field grade promotions, especially
for colonels seeking their first star. Gener-
ïaytnmimmi
wmimwm
als also move up tne laauer taster if they
have combat records. For the saice or their
careers, combat commands in Vietnam have
been rotated every six to eight months. Consequently, the troops are constantly being
led by green officers. Human life literally
has become a means to an end for ambitious
officers. The dirt soldiers die, their parents
get flag-draped coffins, and the generals receive the kudos.
Generals also feel they need medals to
add to their luster. These are handed out to
just about every general who takes a helicopter ride over a battlefield. Almost half of
the generals back from Vietnam last year,
most of them swivel-chair commanders,
came home decorated. for bravery in combat. Colonels in charge of battalions get decorated so automatically that their medals
• ■ *?
nave become known as the "battalion commanders' packets." Among the enlisted men
who do most of the fighting and dying, in
contrast, only one in ten was decorated for
bravery.
It is also drilled into officers that the
way to get ahead is to conform and never to
criticize. Efficiency reports, which largely
determine promotions, measure conformity
rather than ability. Able officers who raise
criticisms get low ratings. Tne inevitable
result is that the Army has come under the
sway of mediocre officers.
In recruiting for the ranks, the Army
promises soft jobs for those who enlist,
those who are shanghaied—the draftees, the
poor, the black, the dull, the walking wounded—are thrown into the foxholes. The best
men invariably get the choice, rear-echelon
assignments. Thus the cream become the
bureaucrats. The dregs become the dirt soldiers. In other words, the purpose of the
Army is to fight, yet its policy is keep the
best men out o. combat.
THE BOND (Ara.Servicemen. rs Uni.*; ),
-, Dec. 16,1970
"-*'•'-. "8£M
GfßMAN
mmum
mumm i«
»« turns
(liil-UU)
U.S. Army pamphlets written for officers by Nazi war criminals. These
pamphlets recommend the same terroristic war on civilians as was carried
out by Calley in My Lai. The government is now trying to whitewash its
ordering the murders of civilians.
Butcher Calley with one of his
lawyers, Richard Kay, outside the
Ft. Benning courtroom.